There are some of you that may have no idea who Ray Chapman is. The short life that he lived playing major league baseball for the Cleveland Indians was one that was full of milestones at the time he played. Born in 1891, he was a mere 21 years old when he began his career.
Within his first six years of play this young man had already stolen the American Leagues record of walks and runs. Well known for his ability at bunting, he still hold position number six in the most sacrifices in any career. He actually totaled 67 of them in one season alone which is a feat that he maintains as number one.
The Cleveland Indians were originally known as the Cleveland Naps and this is the name they held when Ray began his play with the team. His career may have been one of the shortest on record but it was filled with achievements of that time. With 84 walks and runs each, he held the American League Record in 1918.
Ray was not an overly big man. He stood about 5' 10" tall which is short by most of today's standards but that did little to stop him when he was on the field. Stolen bases seemed to be his forte leading his team four different times. At present, he is number 6 in the all time record of fifty-two stolen bases during his career.
At this time, pitchers made a habit of making the baseball as dirty as they possibly could. This was said to make the ball more difficult to see and therefore harder to hit. It was a practice that all teams participated in, but it was the one that would lead to the death of Mr. Chapman.
1920 was the infamous year. Ray stepped up to the plate to face pitcher Carl Mays crowding it as was his style. Mays threw the ball with all the force he could muster. Chapman never backed off and the ball hit him in the head with such force it sounded like the ball had been hit by Rays bat. Mays retrieved the ball, throwing it to first base, and the Yankees continued to throw the ball around the infield before realizing something was seriously wrong.
Obviously dazed, the man was escorted off the field, taken to a medical facility where he passed away some twelve hours later. In an odd sense, he had broken yet another record. He is the only man to be killed while participating in the sport of baseball. It was is demise that put an end to the habit of making the ball dirty to prevent batters from seeing it. The necessity of batting helmets was recognized also, but that was not put into play until 30 years later.
With the spitball outlawed, the untimely death of Ray Chapman was a lesson well learned by all ballplayers of that time. There was real danger in a practice that had been accepted as par for the game. The eight years Ray played with such success makes one wonder what other records he could have broken.
Within his first six years of play this young man had already stolen the American Leagues record of walks and runs. Well known for his ability at bunting, he still hold position number six in the most sacrifices in any career. He actually totaled 67 of them in one season alone which is a feat that he maintains as number one.
The Cleveland Indians were originally known as the Cleveland Naps and this is the name they held when Ray began his play with the team. His career may have been one of the shortest on record but it was filled with achievements of that time. With 84 walks and runs each, he held the American League Record in 1918.
Ray was not an overly big man. He stood about 5' 10" tall which is short by most of today's standards but that did little to stop him when he was on the field. Stolen bases seemed to be his forte leading his team four different times. At present, he is number 6 in the all time record of fifty-two stolen bases during his career.
At this time, pitchers made a habit of making the baseball as dirty as they possibly could. This was said to make the ball more difficult to see and therefore harder to hit. It was a practice that all teams participated in, but it was the one that would lead to the death of Mr. Chapman.
1920 was the infamous year. Ray stepped up to the plate to face pitcher Carl Mays crowding it as was his style. Mays threw the ball with all the force he could muster. Chapman never backed off and the ball hit him in the head with such force it sounded like the ball had been hit by Rays bat. Mays retrieved the ball, throwing it to first base, and the Yankees continued to throw the ball around the infield before realizing something was seriously wrong.
Obviously dazed, the man was escorted off the field, taken to a medical facility where he passed away some twelve hours later. In an odd sense, he had broken yet another record. He is the only man to be killed while participating in the sport of baseball. It was is demise that put an end to the habit of making the ball dirty to prevent batters from seeing it. The necessity of batting helmets was recognized also, but that was not put into play until 30 years later.
With the spitball outlawed, the untimely death of Ray Chapman was a lesson well learned by all ballplayers of that time. There was real danger in a practice that had been accepted as par for the game. The eight years Ray played with such success makes one wonder what other records he could have broken.
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